Old Meets New
by bamboo72498
Summary: Crossover. Castle and Beckett are married and have a daughter. Set five years post "Always." the ER aspect of theis story is set Season 6, so it's kind of like an alternate reality.
1. Protection

Thunder crashed, lightening flashed. A little girl was curled up close to her father. The girl had an irrational fear of thunderstorms, and this one was the worst one of spring so far. She was clutching her favorite teddy bear and sat as close to her dad as she could without sitting in his lap.

Her dad was rubbing her neck and upper back trying to calm his daughter down.

"Shhh, Johanna. It's ok, it's all ok," he kept whispering over and over into the girl's ear.

"Daddy it's scary," she said. Her eyes were big. Almost as if she were to close them, a monster would get her.

"I kno you're scared baby. The storm will be over soon," Richard Castle didn't know what to do. Sure Alexis had been scared of storms when she was little, but never this bad.

A loud crack of thunder shook the loft and all at once the power went out and Johanna let out an ear splitting shriek.

"Castle, what are you doing?" Kate Beckett's voice filled the room as the lights returned.

"Well I-I just- I," Castle started to say suddenly lost for words.

"Mommy!" Johanna ran up to her mom grabbing her around her leg.

"Hi baby girl," Kate said picking up her daughter for a better hug. "How are you?"

"Mommy the thunder was scary. And then the lights were gone," The three year-old explained. "But daddy was very brave. He protected me from the monsters,"

Kate laughed at that last comment as she walked to the couch and sat down, her daughter on her lap.

"Well daddy is very good at the whole 'protecting' thing," she said.

Richard leaned over and kissed his wife on her cheek. He moved his kissed slowly inward towards her mouth. Once there he depend the kissed each one stronger and full of love. The little girl slid down from her seat and returned to the abandoned picture she had been coloring.

The couple didn't even notice that Richard's cell phone-which was sitting in the coffee table- was ringing. Johanna picked up the phone and answered it for her dad.

"Hello?" the little girl asked.

"Um is Richard Castle there?" the woman on the other side asked, obviously confused as to why a little girl was answering the phone belonging to the older man.

"Who is this?" Johanna asked, just the way her parents taught her to answer the phone when she didn't know who it was.

"It's Gina," the woman replied growing more and more impatient.

"Hold on," Johanna stood up and held the phone out to her dad. "Daddy, Ms. Gina in on the phone for you," she shouted trying to get her dad's attention. Rick pulled away from Kate, wiping his hand across his mouth.

He took the phone form the girl and held it against his shoulder to block his voice. "Thank you Jojo," he said kissing the tip of the girl's nose, which sent her into a fit of giggles.

Castle quickly rose and moved the conversation into his office. The door closed leaving both girls alone.

"Come on Johanna, time for bed," Kate said holding out her hand to the girl.

"But I'm not tired yet!" Johanna whined, her long hair bouncing.

"I know you're not, but it's late and time for bed," Kate said her voice becoming more serious. Finally the girl complied and followed her mother upstairs and into her pink walled bedroom.


	2. Explination

"Yo, Beckett!" Javier Esposito came up behind his partner, flipping pages in his notebook. The Brunette who had been staring at the murder board for the better part of an hour, turned to look at her friend. "We just checked the girlfriend's alibi. It cleared; she was in Reno at the time of the murder.

"Ok thanks Espo," she said turning back to the board. Kate was slightly disappointed. The girlfriend was their only suspect. Now that they lost her, they were back to square one on this murder.

"Ryan, look into his-"Beckett was interrupted when the office door opened and an angry looking Captain Gates came out.

"Detective Beckett, could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked motion Kate to come.

"Look into his financials, I want to know everything," Kate said to Ryan as she made her way over to her commanding officer.

"Yes sir?" Kate asked. She wasn't sure why Gates called her over, she wasn't sure she did anything wrong.

"Why am I having your husband calling me to ask for _your_ time off? Beckett, if you needed to take some personal time, all you had to do was ask. You don't have to get Castle to do it for you."

Kate was now very confused. She had no idea what the woman was talking about.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't know what you are talking about. Castle did what?"

"He called me and asked if you could have the weekend off, now of course I told him to stop calling me and hung up on him. It's not his right to ask for time off for you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Honestly sir, I have no idea what Castle was talking about. Let me ask him tonight. I'll get this whole thing sorted out," Beckett said. Gates nodded and went back into her office.

Beckett had that 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling-Castle was up to something. She could feel it.

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"Mommy I made dinner!" the three year-old proudly proclaimed as soon as her mom stepped foot in the loft.

"That's fantastic Jojo, I'm so proud of you," Kate said scooping the girl up for a hug.

"Well daddy helped," she giving her dad credit for 'helping' make dinner.

"Thank you daddy, "Kate said smiling watching as Rick stirred something on the stove. "What are we having?"

"Seafood lin-lin-daddy what is it called?" the girl asked after trying to pronounce the word.

"Linguini. Shrimp, scallops, crab, all of mommy's favorites," He said leaning over the counter and planting a kiss on Kate's lips. She smiled her green eyes sparkling.

Finally all three Castles were seated at the table, plates of food in front of them. The older two had glasses of wine, while the littlest one had a cup of lemonade.

Kate hated to bead around the bush, so she just got right to the point.

"Castle why did you call Gates and ask if I could have time off?" she asked. Rick glared at her, a mouthful of pasta still hanging from his lips. He finished chewing, Kate still waiting for his answer.

"I called because I needed to make sure you weren't going to be bothered with work," he said wiping the pasta sauce off his chin.

"Why is that? What's up your sleeve Castle? You're not going to pull one over me." Kate said

"Yea daddy, mommy had eyes in the back of her head," Johanna said giggling.

"Wait here, I have a surprise for you," Castle said racing for his office. He quickly dug through the piles on top until he found what he was looking for.

He comes back to the table and drops a full envelope in front of Kate.

"That's why I called Gates.," he said taking his seat, the excitement in his voice faltering a bit.

Kate opened the seal and let the contents spill out onto the table.

"There are three tickets to Chicago. I want you girls to come with me to kick off my book tour. I already cleared it with Gina, everything's been set up," This had been something Rick had wanted for a while. As soon as his book tour had been finalized he began preparations to get his family to come with him. After serious homesickness had wracked his body during his last book tour, Rick desperately wanted Kate and Johanna to come with him, if only for a while.

The silence in the room was so loud it was deafening. Rick sat waiting for Kate's reaction, which could be unpredictable at best.

"You should have told me instead of going behind my back and telling Gates like that," Kate finally said after a while, he voice more annoyed than mad. "But man Gate's face when she came out of her office! Castle it was priceless," She said laughing, her green eyes beginning to sparkle.

Rick smiled and let out the breath he had been holding. He helped clear the plates and get Johanna down from her booster seat. "So you're coming?" he asked.

"Well of course we're coming. I missed you too much the last time. I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him a few time before turning back to putting dishes in the sink.

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"It's late, you should be in bed," He said to Kate who was half asleep on the couch. Rick grabbed her hands and pulled her off the couch. He kissed her on the lips and forehead. She smiled and walked zombie-like up the stairs. "I love you," He said but only got a grunt in return.

Richard smiled to himself as he slid into his desk chair. He woke his computer up and continued work on his newest project.


	3. Last Day of School

Kate Beckett came downstairs. She flicked her hair up into a bun and walked to the coffee maker. Tuning the radio to her favorite station, she scooped coffee grounds into the filter. Kate sung quietly to the song on the radio.

Adding another layer to the 'Beckett onion," Kate loved Broadway music. It was her secret obsession. When she was little, her mom would take a young Katherine to see a show on the weekends. Ever since her mom's death, Kate would turn the music on and almost like magic, her mom would be there singing along.

"_For real though, imagine how it must feel going real slow. Down the highway of life with no regrets, and no breakin' your neck for respect of a pay check…" _Kate stopped signing when she felt hands touching her back. Her muscles tensed, her body going into attack mode.

"You know I love it when you sing," his voice was rough, still full of sleep. She turned, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him. It was sweet, warm and delicious.

"I know you do. That's why I do it," she said, her face an inch away from his, their noses touching.

The music changed, turning into a slow ballad. Castle started to sway slowly to the beat. Kate let her head rest on his shoulder putting her own movements into perfect synch with his. She hummed softly with the music, not feeling confident enough in herself to sing the correct words.

They seemed to drift off into an almost dream world. The only sounds were the music in the background and the quiet gurgle of the coffee maker. He kissed the crown of her head, she breathed in the scent of his shirt. She wished she could stay like this forever and always, but like songs, moments like this have an end. Theirs came when Kate felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

She rolled her eyes and broke away from her dance partner.

"Beckett," she said.

"Hey, we got him," Ryan said. Kate could hear sirens on the other end.

"Great bring him in, I'll be there in a while." She flicked her phone shut and mad a mad dash for the stairs.

She came back fully clothed a while later, a sad looking Johanna right on her heel.

"But mommy, I don't want you to go to work. You need to stay with me and daddy, we can go to the park," the girl whined grabbing onto the hem of Kate's shirt.

"I know you don't want me to leave baby," Kate said picking the girl up and setting her on the counter so she could look into her eyes. They were the same blue color as Castle's. "But I have to go. We are almost done with this case and I promise I will do something fun with you and daddy on our trip this weekend," Kate kissed her daughter's cheek, turned and left the loft, not giving a glance back.

The door had only just clicked shut, Castle turned to his daughter. He helped her hop off the counter and led her back upstairs.

"Come on let's get dressed and surprise mommy at work." He said leading Johann into her room and helping as she put on clean clothes. Richard brushed her hair, and pulled it back in a long ponytail, then points her in the direction of the bathroom to brush her teeth.

In that time Rick throws on jeans and a clean t-shirt, and brushes his own teeth.

Once both of them have gotten cleaned up, Castle finds his phone and key, takes his daughter's hand and leaves the apartment, locking the door behind him.

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The elevator doors open to the homicide department of the 12th precinct; Richard and Johanna Castle get out and go in search of their favorite detective. They first stop at her desk where an empty coffee cup sits, but not the cop.

"Hey, Castle! What are you doing here man?" Javier Esposito asked as he walks by.

"Uncle Javi!" Johanna yells before rushing to her uncle for a hug.

"Hey mija!" the cop says, scooping the girl up into a hug.

"We came to surprise mommy," the girl says.

"Oh ok, well then come with me," he says leading the girl and her father out of the 'bull pen' and down the hall.

"Did she close the case yet?" Castle asks.

"Not yet she's just about too. You know Beckett; she does everything in her own way." The group now stands in the viewing room watching through the two-way mirror as Kate gets the suspect to admit to killing the victim.

"Johanna we have to be very quiet when we are in here ok?" Javi asks the girl still being held in his arms. She nods, happy to be watching and listening to her mom catch the bad guy. The young girl didn't understand why the man her mom was talking too was in trouble, but she did know that if Kate was talking to him, he must have done something bad.

After a long, tense half hour, the mad had admitted to killing his wife and child because they knew about his drug selling job. He was charged with murder and drug possession and trafficking. Uniforms slapped cuffs and him and led him to a holding cell.

Rick, Javier, and Johanna filed out of the observation room just as Kate left the now empty interrogation room. The three snuck up behind the detective. Johann slid from her uncles' arms onto her mother's back, wrapping her legs around Kate's waist.

The touch and weight on her back made Kate jump. She reached behind her back and felt for whatever was holding onto her.

"Hi mommy," Johanna's voice was right in her ear which made Kate jump again. The girl giggled and slid off her mom's back and ran in front of her instead.

"Johanna? What are you doing here?" Kate asked crouching down to her daughter's level.

"It's a surprise. We came to see you and watch you catch the bad guy," she said smiling.

"You saw that?" Kate asked. Johanna nodded and smiled.

"It's never not sexy," Castle said behind his wife. He had on that smile that, when she turned around, immediately made her smile.

She walked up to him and whispered into his ear, "You have no Idea," she smiled and bit her bottom lip before taking her daughter's hand and leading the girl back to her desk, leaving Castle in disbelief.

On their way to her desk, Kate nearly walked right into Captain Gates.

"Oh, whoa, I'm so sorry sir," Kate stuttered.

"It's alright, just watch where you're going next time," Kate nodded and the tough as nails captain walked away, not even looking at Johanna, at least that's what Kate thought. "And this is not a place for little kids, get her out of here," Gates said over shoulder.

Kate sighed and shook her head, and led her daughter to her desk. She set the girl in the chair and rolled her eyes when Castle and Esposito starting spinning the girl, who giggled and squealed with delight.

"Now you see why I don't let you guys come to work with me. I'm never going to get anything done," she said to the boys.

And she never got to the paperwork that was supposed to be done before she left; she was having too much fun with her family to do work. Besides that's what she kept Ryan and Esposito around for.


	4. And so it Begins

**Hey guys! Did you miss me? Of course you did. Here is next chapter in this crazy little thing i'm doing. I had fun writing it, especially since poarts of this chapter come from actual events that have taken place in my family. Oh, before i forget: i want to thank all of you who have been reviewing. It really maks me happy knowing people are reading this and liking it, so thank you. Enjoy!**

**Disclamor: If it were mine Esplanie would be back together and Gates wouldn't hate Castle anymore.**

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"Okay now all we need is something for you to wear to daddy's book signing tomorrow night," Kate said to her daughter. Johanna jumped off her perch on the bed and ran for her closet. She flicked past the multitude of dresses until she found the one she wanted.

"This one," she said pulling the dress out and showing it to her mom. It was a jean 'overall' style dress with flowers all over it. Kate smiled. The dress was a gift from her dad. He had bought it for Johanna for her last birthday.

Kate turned and reached into the girl's sock drawer. She pulled out a pair of purple tights to go along with the dress. "How about these?" she asked

Johanna smiled and nodded, then darted back for her closet. "And my party shoes!" she said excitedly. Kate smile as her daughter dropped the dress and black shoes into the bag on the floor.

The girls didn't notice they were being watched. Richard Castle stood leaning up against the door-frame to his daughter's bedroom. He had made it his nightly routine to listen in on his wife and daughter. They would pick out clothes to wear for the next day, cuddle close together on the bed and Kate would begin to tell the young girl about her adventures as a cop. Of courses she would leave out the parts that were not suitable for a three year-olds ears.

On this particular night Kate was telling the story of how she and Rick were handcuffed together and found a live tiger. He listened in silence to the story, a smile reaching his eyes as he remembered. Soon the little girl's giggles stopped and Rick could tell she had finally fallen asleep.

Kate stood up and returned to the abandoned suitcase. She quickly wrapped a few hair ties around the end of a brush and threw it into the bag. After placing a few more things inside, she bent down and zipped the bag shut.

She had been having that 'I'm being watched' feeling all night but when she looked around there was no one there. Kate just shrugged it off as sleepiness. She flicked the light off and closed the door to let the little girl sleep.

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"You all packed?" she asked Rick as she entered their room. There were two suitcases sitting on the floor, both of them closed.

"I'm all set. Like I said I can pack fast," he said with a smile.

Kate bent down and unzipped the smaller of the two suitcases. It had been filled with the clothes she had waned to take of the trip. She looked up to see her husband smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"You packed for me?" she asked kneeling on the end of their bed.

"Well I had some help. All I did was put the pile of things you had out into a bag. It wasn't hard. A monkey could have done it," he smiled and opened his arms to her.

She crawled into his embrace, her head resting in the spot between his jaw and shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair, taking out any of the tangles that might have formed. After a while he began rubbing circles onto her shoulder blade. He could feel her breathing slow, and he knew she was asleep.

Rick kisses the top if her copper colored hair and falls asleep.

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The sun filtered in through the curtains. Kate opened her eyes to see long brown eyelashes and a cute button nose. Somehow in the middle of the night Johanna crawled into bed with mom and dad, and now lay fast asleep in the crook of Kate's arm.

"Rick," she whispered careful not to wake the little girl.

"Hm?" he said, awake but not quite ready to open his eyes.

"How did she get in here?"

"You let her," he said his voice dark and thick with sleep. "She had a nightmare and wanted to sleep in here. You told her no but the she started crying, so you help her until she fell asleep."

"How come I don't remember any of this?" she asked not recalling the alleged event that took place earlier that morning.

"Because you were half asleep at the time, and didn't want to deal with a crying child," he said chuckling slightly.

She nodded, taking his word for it. "What time is it?"

"Just after eight," he said finally opening his eyes to reveal Frank Sinatra blues looking right into her olive greens.

Johanna rolled over in Kate's arms mumbling something in her sleep about dinosaurs.

Kate stood, pulling the covers over her daughter before walking out of the bathroom. She came out a minute later wearing a faded grey NYPD sweatshirt and her hair flicked up into a messy bun.

"I'll go make us some coffee," she said leaving the now sunny bedroom. Rick listened to her fading footsteps for a minute before getting up himself and pulling on a tee shirt and following his wife into the kitchen.

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_Two hours later_

The house smelled of cinnamon and maple syrup, which only meant one thing: pancakes. A favorite among the entire Castle family, pancakes were something they had every Saturday morning, not just on morning when there was something to be thankful for.

Dora the Explorer played in the background. Johanna would take a bit of her food then look up at the show for a few minutes then take another bite. This went on a few times before Kate spoke up.

"Johanna, eat your food," Kate said touching her daughter's cheek so the girl would meet her eyes.

"But mommy, I like this one," Johanna whined.

"It will still be there when you finish eating," Kate said. The three year-old stuck her bottom lip out and began to pout. "Johanna Rae, if you keep acting like this you will go in time out," Kate warned. But still the girl pouted and began getting more and more upset.

Kate had had enough. She had given her daughter a warning, and when she didn't listen, Kate picked her up from her booster seat and sat the girl in the corner.

She set the timer on the stove for three minutes and began clearing the table. The cop barely noticed her still crying daughter in the background.

The buzzer sounder and Kate walked over to the girl, whose cries had been reduced to sniffling. She crouched down to meet her daughter's eyes.

"Johanna, I sent you to time out because you did not listen to me when I said to stop watching TV and eat your food." She said her voice low, not angry but definitely serious.

"I'm sorry mommy," Johanna said wiping her nose in the hem of her pajama shirt.

"I know you are," Kate said pulling the girl in for a hug. "Now will you be a good girl and play down here while I go take a shower?" Johanna nodded and skipped off to where her unfinished picture lay and continued coloring in it.

Kate went into her room, closing the door behind her. The bathroom door was closed so she busied herself with making the bed, while Rick finished his shower. He came out a few minutes later wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

She smiled and walked past him and into the still humid bathroom. She turned the water on and as it warmed up again, she shed her clothes.

Once the water was hot enough for her liking, she stepped inside, letting the stream hit her square in the face. She stood in front of the water for a while letting the water hit all of her muscles, relaxing them from their constant stress induced tightness.

She heard Rick knock on the door.

"Kate, I'm going to get Johanna ready," he said.

She opened the door a few minutes later; a rush of cold air hit her face sending chills down her spine. She dressed quickly, knowing her daughter could burst through the door at any moment.

And as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Kate grants the person behind the door entrance and a second later the door is thrown wide open. Rick enters with a now dressed Johanna on his hip. He sets her down on the bed and turns towards his closet looking for a jacket.

Kate turns to her daughter and smiles at the shirt she's wearing. It's a light pink "Team Nikki" shirt that Rick had gotten for her the week before. He had gotten Kate and Alexis one as well but Johanna was the frills of the Castle girls to wear it.

Kate scanned the girl up and down; stopping abruptly on the way her hair was styled. She could only smile and laugh.

"Johann, turn around and show daddy your hair," she said to the girl Johanna did as she was told and turned backwards. "Castle, did you fix her hair this morning?" Kate asked her husband.

"Yes, why?' He asked, his voice muffled slightly from inside the walk-in closet.

"Because they are completely lopsided, one side is higher than the other," she said.

Rick looked up at his daughter before shrugging his shoulders. "They look good to me."

Kate sighed and sat on the bed next to the young girl. "Would you like me to fix you pig tails Jojo?" she asked. The girl shook her head.

"Daddy did them, I like them that way," Kate threw her hands up in defeat.

"Alright whatever you say, your majesty," she said smiling.

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"Are you guys ready yet?" Rick practically whined up the stairs.

"Relax Castle, we are not late, we have time." Kate said coming down the stairs; Johanna holding one of her hand, a tote bag in the other and a backpack slung over her shoulder.

They reached the bottom and Johanna let go of her mom's hand and ran to her older sister for a hug.

"Bye Lexi," the young girl said to her sister who had arrived a few minutes later to look after the house while they were gone.

"Bye jellybean. Have fun and don't get into too much trouble ok?" Alexis asked her sister. The girl nodded before putting on the jacket her dad held out to her.

"Ok we need to go," Rick said pulling his oldest daughter in for a hug. "No parties while I'm gone." Alexis laughed and kissed her dad's cheek.

"Be safe this weekend, ok?" Kate said into Alexis's ear while she gave the young woman a hug.

"Don't worry about me Kate. I can handle myself," Alexis said.

"Ok but if you need anything; Ryan and Esposito are on call this weekend. Don't be afraid to call them."

"I won't. Bye guys, have fun."

The family walked out of the apartment, Johanna running ahead of them yelling something about wanting to push the button.

Rick linked his fingers in between Kate's and kissed the top of her hand.

"Chicago, here we come," he said as the elevator carried down to ground level.

They reached the front door where a town car waited for them, their bags already in the trunk. The family got in, Johanna in between her parents.

"Hey Jellybean, are you ready?" Rick asked his daughter. She was nodding profusely and the smile on her face could have lit up the whole island of Manhattan for a year.

"Well then let's go," Castle said signaling to the driver. They pulled away from the curb and headed out on their first book tour as a family.

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**Well what did you think? Really, i'm dying to know. What do you want to see? What do you think will happen next? REVIEW!**

**p.s.- Happy belated Canadian Thanksgiving!**


	5. Chicago, Diner Food and New Friends

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA. School got the best of me, but now that that's over, i can write more. i guess you could say this chapter is a filler. I needed to set up the ER universe for events to come and I thought what better place to do it than a dinner with friends. Now let me clarify some things because i've been getting a few questions: this is before Carol leaves, but Tess and Kate are born; Lucy hasn't died and Carter hasn't gotten stabbed yet.**

**Now on with the thrilling heroics (bonus points if you know where that's from). Enjoy and post a review if i need to fix anything or you wanna give me advice, but please be nice.**

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"Attention, flight 804 to Chicago is now boarding. Will all passengers with boarding pass A please begin lining up." The flight attendant said into the microphone.

Rick took the envelope with the tickets out of his carryon bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder, and held out his hand to Johanna who stood up from her spot on the floor, put her own backpack on her shoulders and took her dad's hands.

"But daddy we can't go yet, mommy isn't back from the potty yet," Johanna said looking over her shoulder.

"Don't worry Johanna, your mom will be here in a minute," He said. Sure enough, as soon as Rick said those words, Kate joined them.

The father-daughter duo walked towards the line to get onto the plane, with mom right behind them.

They got to the front fairly quickly and Rick handed the woman their tickets. She scanned them and waved them through.

They came to the doorway to the walkway to the plane, when Johanna froze. She heard the loud noises of the plane and all of the action going on outside that she got a little scared.

"What's wrong baby girl?" Kate asked, squatting down to meet her daughter's eyes.

"Mommy, the monsters are gonna get us," she said her blue eyes growing big with fear.

An older gentleman came up behind the family, scoffed quickly before muttering "just pick the brat up and get on the plane. Kids should not be allowed to travel this way," he walked around the Castle's and continued onto the plane.

Not wanting to make more of a scene, Kate took Johanna's hand and led her out of the way of the other the passengers. She motioned for Rick to go ahead and find their seats. He nodded and disappeared down the ramp.

"Johanna," Kate said bending down again. "I promise you nothing is going to happen, but we need to go on the plane now." The girl was shaking her head, her eyes wide and fear written all over her face. Kate finally scooped up the scared girl, set her on her hip and walked on. Johanna went the whole way crying, saying the monsters were going to get her.

They reached the door of the plane and Kate stepped inside, a flight attendant looked at her and the scared little girl she was holding.

"First flight?" the woman asked. Kate nodded and walked to where their seats were located.

They found Rick sitting in a window seat. When they reached him, Johanna almost jumped into her dad's arms, still crying. Kate slid into the middle seat, putting both her and Johanna's backpacks in the aisle seat.

A short time later, the flight attendants came around to make sure everyone had their seat belts on.

"Excuse me ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to buckle her up," one of them said to Kate, motioning to Johanna who still clung to her the collar of her dad's shirt. Kate smiled and nodded before moving the bags to the floor, and scooting over to the empty seat.

"Castle," she said getting his attention. "They said we had to put her in a seat and strap her in." Rick nodded and stood up, his head almost colliding with the ceiling. He moved to the middle putting Johanna in the chair he was just in. the girl began crying again, gripping onto Castle's shirt tighter. Somehow Rick managed to put both his and his daughter's seatbelt on.

He leaned close to his scared daughter's ear, smoothing her hair back, he started whispering silent encouragements; trying unsuccessfully to calm her down.

The plane began to move and Castle quickly acted on the changing scenery.

"Look Jojo, can you see the horses out the window," he asked pointing to a farm not far from the airport, where a group of horses stood grazing on the new green grass. The girl sat up straighter looking for the horses. For the first time in the past forty-five minutes, she smiled. Rick continued this little game as they moved further down the runway, until they were just about to get off the ground. "Ok. Jojo, on the count of three, you and me will be flying," he said trying to make it sound fun, like a game.

They pair counted to three, and sure enough they were both off the ground and getting higher and higher in the sky.

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Halfway into the flight, Johanna slept peacefully, her head resting on the window, ear buds still in her tiny ears. She had fallen asleep watching the end of a more kid-friendly movie. Rick and Kate sat quietly sipping on glasses of champagne and listening to another movie. It was one of those old 1940's black and white, Film Noir movies that the couple loved.

He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips. He kissed it softly smiling the whole time.

"Daddy?" Johanna asked. Her voice quiet and still full of sleep.

"Yes pumpkin?" Rick asked turning to face her.

"Did they get the goods?" she asked sitting up.

"Did who get the goods?" he asked confused.

"The bad guys, in the movie. I fell asleep. Did they get it?"

Castle laughed and smiled at his daughter. He kissed the top of her sleep frazzled hair before replying "Yes baby, they got it."

The girl smiled and turned back to the movie. She didn't always understand the plot to the movies, but it made her fell special to be a part of something her parents love very much.

As the end credits rolled, an announcement came over the plane's speaker. The captain said they were starting to land and that everyone must put their seat belt back on.

Kate reached down between her legs and pulled a pack of gum from her backpack. She handed one to Rick and took one for herself. She split her piece in half and handed one of the two to her daughter. The girl happily accepted the special treat. After an event involving gum, important work papers and a lot of tears; it was decided, by her parents, that Johanna Rae Castle was only to have gum on special occasions.

Kate could feel her ears pop and looked out the window as the clouds faded and the ground came into view.

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After finding their checked bags, which took longer than expected, and taking a quick stop off at the bathroom; the Castle family stood in line to get a taxi to their hotel.

"Where too?" the driver asked, pulling away from the curb.

"The Westbrook Hotel, on 23rd Street," Rick said looking at the address on his phone. They arrived ten minutes later and were greeted by a young bellhop. They boy didn't look old enough to even hold a job, but he assured the family that we was a sophomore in college and trying to earn money to pay for tuition.

They all exchanged the usual hellos and the Castle family went on their way, dragging their suitcases behind them.

Kate couldn't help but notice that her writer-boy was checking his phone for the tenth time since they had landed.

"Hey what's the matter?" she asked taking his hand. "Is something wrong with Alexis?"

"No she's fine. I was just checking up on our dinner reservations," he said to her as they stood in front of the desk waiting for the receptionist to finish her phone call.

"I'm sorry," she said smiling. It was one of those forced smiles that showed how tired the girl was growing and that her shift had ended thirty minutes ago but unfortunately her replacement hadn't arrived yet. "How can I help you?"

"Yes, we have a reservation, Castle," Rick said.

The girl typed something into her computer and slid card keys through a scanner.

"Alright Mr. Castle, here are your keys. You will be in room 2008," she handed them the keys and quickly rushed to answer the phone which had begun to ring again.

[] []

"Wow Castle, this is our room?" Kate gasped as the door to their suite opened. They had a view of Lake Michigan and there was a giant arrangement of flowers sitting on the table.

Rick smiled at his wife's excitement. In the nearly twenty times he had taken her to places beside the city and the Hamptons, she gave the same reaction; which he looked forward to every time.

"So I'm guessing you like it?" he asked turning Kate around and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh Castle it's amazing," she gasped. Her smile reached her eyes making the bright green stand out.

The family took their time unpacking and changing clothes for dinner. Rick and Kate had a room and bathroom to themselves and Johanna had her own room as well. They were separated by a common living area with the big picture window view of downtown Chicago and the lake.

They were just about to leave; Kate had stopped in front of the mirror on her dresser to touch up her makeup when Johanna walked in. she stood on the chair next to the dresser and watched her mom in the mirror.

"Can I have lipstick?" she asked.

"Johanna, you know the rule: no makeup until you're in middle school," Kate said eyeing the girl in her peripheral vision.

"Please?" the girl asked giving her mom the 'puppy-dog' face.

_Come on Kate, be strong. Don't give in._ "Fine, but only this once." _Oh smooth move X-Lax._

Kate rummaged through her cosmetic bag and finally pulling out an old clear lip gloss she had gotten as a gift last Christmas. She smeared a layer on Johanna's puffed out lips and dropped the gloss back in the bag. Quickly smoothing out her hair once more, she took her daughter's hand, grabbed her purse and jacket, and left the room, flicking the lights off as she went.

[] []

"Come on Rick, just tell me where we're going," Kate pleaded as they left the hotel and hailed a cab.

"Not a chance," Rick said as they got in and he handed the address of the secret restaurant to the driver. Kate pouted, slumping against the seat. He leaned over and kissed her temple. "You'll find out soon enough," he said smiling.

[] []

The car pulled up in front of a rundown diner across the street from a hospital.

"What are we doing here?" Kate asked Rick as he paid their fair.

"This is where we're eating. I'm meeting an old friend. Didn't I tell you?" he asked turning to open the door.

"No I believe you forgot to mention that little fact," she said.

"Just trust me. It's gonna be fine," he said smiling. He took Johanna's hand and walked up to the door, Kate two steps behind.

When Kate Beckett walked into the diner, the smell of grease and coffee hit her nose like a warm hug. She felt calmer than she did a minute ago. She also noticed how hungry she was, having not eaten anything since breakfast, beside a small snack on the plane.

She caught up with her family and watched as her husband looked around, probably for his 'friend.'

"Hey, Ricky!" a brunette man called across the restaurant. A smile stretched across Castle's face as he walked toward the man. Kate noticed he was wearing a white lab coat and had a stethoscope strung around his neck. He was also sitting with an Asian woman, who wore the same lab coat.

As they approached, the two stood up and the man quickly hugged Castle.

"John Carter, I would like you to meet my wife, Detective Kate Beckett," Rick said. Kate smiled and shook the man's hand. "And this is my daughter Johanna," He continued hoisting Johanna onto his hip. John smiled and shook this girl's hand making her smile.

"This is my friend and collogue, Deb Chen," The man called John Carter said motioning to the Asian woman. She smiled and shook hands with all the Castle's. They found seats at the table and opened the menu.

"When Carter told me he was meeting an old friend from school I had no idea that it was going to be Rick Castle. I mean I knew he was rich, but I didn't know he was rich enough to be friends with a best-selling author," Deb said laughing.

"Yes but what he didn't mention that I was the one who wrote all of his essays for tenth grade English," Rick said.

"No, now that is not true. He didn't write them, just re-wrote them after I made a fool out of myself," John said causing everyone to laugh.

"So, what's good to eat here?" Kate asked opening her menu once more.

"Don't eat the chili," Deb and John said in near perfect unison.

"Why?" Kate asked not slightly curious.

"Just trust us, don't," Deb said. Kate nodded. They were more the experts and if they said don't eat something, they she should trust them.

"Mommy," Johanna said getting Kate's attention. " I like daddy's friends," she said whispering into Kate's ear, so the others wouldn't hear her.

"Me too," Kate whispered back.

"So a detective, uh?" John asked looking at Kate.

"Yes. I'm a Homicide Detective," Kate said.

"Mommy catches all the bad guys," Johanna interjected.

Deb smiled at her. "Does she now?" she asked the girl. Johanna nodded and smiled. The group was interrupted by a waitress and quickly ordered food.

"So how's that whole Surgeon thing going for you?" Rick asked John.

"Oh I left surgery like three years ago. I found my calling in Emergency Medicine, been there ever since."

"And what about you, how did you two meet?" Rick asked Deb.

"Actually we were med students together," She said. "I left medicine after my third year. I moved to New York and didn't think about it again until this guys passed out on the sub way. He was having a heart attack and everyone was just standing there. I realized I knew how to save the guy, so jumped in and helped him. After that I realized that medicine is what I should be doing. Finished medical school and now I'm here," She said.

"And actually we're on call," John said looking down at his pager. "And anytime now our dragon lady of an attending will page us because we haven't checked on our patients in an hour."

"So I'm guessing you don't like her?" Kate asked

"Not at all," John said. "She is pure evil.

"I think she's quite nice," Deb said sincerely.

"That's because you've only know her for a little over eight months," John said to her. She nodded.

"Don't worry bro, I know the exact feeling," Rick said thinking of the first couple of years after Captain Gate had arrived at the Twelfth Precinct and how much she had hated him. But now they have become, I wouldn't say friends, but they are cordial towards each other. And Gates has learned that Castle has a very important job in the Precinct, and she doesn't resent him being there.

Why what do you mean?" Deb asked. Castle and Beckett went on to explain about Gates and all of the drama that had ensued. They were careful not to mention Captain Montgomery or Beckett's mom's case.

Their food had arrived and everyone tucked into it like they hadn't eaten in weeks. Kate realized that the cheese burger she was eating could quite possibly be even better than the one she got and Remy's, but don't tell anyone she thought that.

No sooner had they finished eating, both John and Deb were paged to the ER because of an incoming multi-person trauma.

The group said their good-bye's with promises of visiting again before the trip was over.

Rick, Kate and Johanna followed the doctors outside and watched as they dashed across the street to meet the multitude of ambulances that were pulling into the bay in front of the ER doors.

The family stood there for a while longer, watching. Both Rick and Johanna were transfixed by all the goings on in front of their eyes

"Come on writer boy. If we don't go now, we're gonna be late for the signing," Kate said pulling them away from the sounds and flashing lights.

"Yea you're right," Rick agreed pulling Johanna up and setting her on his hip.

The signing was only a few blocks away from the hospital, that's why Rick picked that nigh to meet with John, so they family took of down the street to the book signing.


End file.
